Pastor's Corner ~ "Transfiguration: From the Desert to the Mountain"

There is so much to reflect on the story of the Transfiguration that we have in today’s Gospel. This story is read every 2
nd Sunday of Lent; the version of it changes every year depending from what particular gospel we are reading it from. This year, we have the version of Mark. Let us take a closer look on some of the important details of the story.
The first detail – the mountain. It’s interesting that Jesus had to invite the three disciples to go up to the mountain in order to reveal something very important about him. The description was, “they went up a high mountain apart by themselves.” What is the significance of the place? Why did Jesus have to ask them to go to a more secluded place, away from the busyness of their ministry and concerns in order to reveal to them something profoundly personal about him? We know that many times when we are in the midst of our own daily routines, in the midst of the concerns of daily life, in the busyness of family affairs and work loads, it is so easy to miss something profoundly important that God wants to reveal to us about ourselves and about him. At times, when we are caught up with our worldly concerns, we become deaf and blind to those things that God wants to reveal to us. We need a mountain where we can go, where we can commune with God, where there’s less distraction, when we can listen more attentively. From the desert of last Sunday’s Gospel, we move to the mountaintop today in order to prepare ourselves for something that God wants to reveal to us. Lent is that mountaintop where God continues to reveal himself to us more and more. And what did he reveal? We were told that Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. What is in there? This reveals something very important about Jesus. In Matthew’s version of this story, it was described that “Jesus’ face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” What can be clearly deduced from the description is that the light does not envelop or surround Jesus from without, but comes from within him. His face is not simply illuminated, but shines forth. Jesus is shining with his own light – not reflected—his face reflects not merely the glory of God as was the case of Moses when God appeared to him but, rather, in Jesus’ case, the light in his face comes from his very own glory – he is resplendent with his own glory, the very glory of God because he is the radiance “of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” That’s the first significant revelation here in the Transfiguration: the disciples should now be able to get that the Jesus in their midst is the Son of God. But another big clue or revelation of who this Jesus is, aside from this dazzling clothes, was the presence of the two biggest personalities in the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah: Moses representing the Law (the Ten Commandments), the central basis of Jewish life, religion and culture; Elijah, the most important prophet of the Old Testament; and in the middle is Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law (of everything Moses stood for) and the fulfillment of all the prophecies (of everything Elijah stood for). I want you to realize how significant this is to Peter, James and John: it’s something beyond what they could imagine; a very profound revelation of who this Jesus is. If Moses found himself before contemplating God only through “the burning bush” -- quite abstract in form where God revealed himself as the great “I AM” – now with Jesus, he is contemplating the God who speaks the very words, “I AM” —his desire to see the glory of God is satisfied. Same thing with Elijah – the Messiah whom he prophesied hundreds of years before during his time – is no longer just a prophecy – he is already in their midst. All of these happening –the past, what Moses and Elijah stood for, being fulfilled in the present, while they are conversing about what will happen in the future (the Passion and Resurrection) – all of these happening all at the same time in the very sight of the three disciples. It’s interesting that in this very intimate meeting between Moses, Elijah and Jesus, where Jesus’s glory and identity are revealed in a very profound way, they were conversing about his impending Passion, his suffering and his death. The Passion is at the very heart of the mystery of the Transfiguration. The glory of Jesus can’t be separated even in one instant from the cross. Here is the point: The revelation here in the Transfiguration event tells us of a new kind of glory and power that springs forth precisely from the renunciation of all power and glory.
No wonder Peter, James and John seeing all of these happening, were very overwhelmed, and Peter said, “Master, it is good that we are here.” The word “good”, as used in the story, is that same word that was used during the story of creation. Kalon is “good” in Greek. “God saw that everything was ‘good’” – it implies perfect beauty in its highest sense of the word. Nothing could surpass that. What does this tell us about Jesus? That he is the most beautiful thing that we should desire. In creation, everything was perfect before sin entered, and that description of “good/kalon” was last used in the work of creation; the second time it is used is here in the Transfiguration story because the Supreme Good, Jesus, is the one who will restore all creation back to its original goodness — to its original Kalon. And, to this overwhelming manifestation, Peter added, “let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” St. Augustine commenting on this wrote: Peter was finding the crowd down below the mountain a dreadful bore; he had discovered the solitude of the mountain where he could have Christ to himself as the bread of the Spirit. Why go down there to toil and trouble , while he was experiencing there for God such sacred affection, and hence such virtuous dispositions?” I can’t blame Peter — I would have wanted to stay as well, but then a cloud cast a shadow over them, and a voice was heard, “This is my Beloved Son , listen to him.” Who would miss here who Jesus truly is. He is the Beloved Son of the Father, and the command is listen to him. Listen to him. Listen to him. Do you listen to Jesus? Who are you listening to? Looking at our own life does it show or manifest that we listen to Jesus? Does our lifestyle reflect that we are indeed listening to Christ? There are so many alternative messages out there —- easier to follow and would satisfy the craving of the senses right away but, would not give us lasting happiness and joy. After the disciples heard the voice of the Father, they found Jesus alone. Mark’s description of this is a lot more powerful and direct. His description is, “when they looked around, they saw no one but only Jesus.” Only Jesus! Only Jesus remains – if we are truly listening, the one who will remain in our lives is Christ alone. There are so many things in our lives that we can put alongside Jesus: Jesus and money, Jesus and the craving for power, Jesus and addiction, Jesus and all sorts of sins! Only Jesus with the father and Holy Spirit should remain. Is there anything in our lives right now that we substitute for God? My dear friends, let us go up to the mountain to rest in this season of Lent, contemplate Jesus, listen to him, pay attention to what he wants to reveal to us, to you, so that when we come down from the mountain to continue with our own lives, our faces, like Moses, would be radiant, shining the peace and serenity that only Jesus can bring, meaning the face of the one whom we contemplated on the mountain is also reflected in our own very lives! – Fr. Cary